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About Ethiopia

USAID’s portfolio in Ethiopia is one of the largest and most complex in Africa.

Over the last decade, Ethiopia has made tremendous development gains in education, health and food security. Despite the regular cycle of drought that affects parts of the country, the number of emergency beneficiaries has dropped from 15 million in 2003 to an estimated 2.7 million in 2014. GDP growth has reached nine percent. The addition of 38,000 health extension workers has helped reduce the under five child mortality rate by more than five percent a year.

Ethiopia still remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with an annual per capita income of $542. Roughly 30 percent of Ethiopians live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day and are vulnerable to food insecurity, and 82 percent depend on subsistence agriculture. Its fast-growing population, now estimated at 88.9 million, puts tremendous pressure on the land and natural resources that are the cornerstones for the country's growth.

To further the country’s progress, the Ethiopian Government has committed itself to a five-year Growth and Transformation Plan and includes sustainably improving rural livelihoods and national food security. U.S. assistance capitalizes on a partnership with the government to combat poverty, deliver quality basic public health and education services and generate opportunities for private sector engagement in sustainable economic development.